1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to multichannel audio systems and, more particularly, to an audio channel compensation system for a multichannel audio system.
2. Related Art
The perception of sound provided by an audio system in an environment may be degraded by reflective surfaces in that environment. A listener in such an environment is presented with both the original sound and a delayed version of the sound, which results in constructive and destructive interference. This type of interference can produce deviations, such as a comb filtering effect, in a target frequency response. The frequency response of a comb filter includes a series of regularly-spaced peaks and troughs, giving the appearance of a comb. The listener therefore receives a sound having a different frequency response than the intended sound originally emitted by the sound system.
Deviations in the target frequency response, such as comb filtering, may be particularly noticeable in substantially enclosed environments, such as the passenger cabin of a vehicle having a multichannel audio sound system. Each listener in the cabin receives both direct and reflected sound associated with each channel, resulting in deviations such as complex comb filtering interactions that reduce enjoyment of the listening experience.